Monday, June 22, 2009

No, I'd say they're doing it right...

...for once, down in Mexico...

The Mexican legislature has voted quietly to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of pot, cocaine, methamphetamine and other drugs, an effort that in the past has proved highly controversial.
...
Some critics have suggested that easing the punishment on drug possession sends the wrong message at a time when President Felipe Calderon is waging a bloody war on major narcotics traffickers. The battle between law enforcement authorities and drug suspects has claimed more than 11,000 lives in the past 2.5 years.
Sending the wrong message. I can almost understand that, but the thing about it is, the War On Some Drugs is a burden on the justice system all the way up and down the line, from front-line law enforcement, to the courts, to the jails. Something like this that will take the strain off some of that and perhaps free up resources to fight the cartels (to say nothing of fighting the smaller crimes Milton Friedman spoke of in his letter to Bill Bennett) should be applauded, not criticized. We have to start somewhere, and I think that's a damn good one.